I heard they turn you into a bit of a zombie, that you dont feel sad or happy......is this true? Someone close to me is on them and she seems a little distant, I dont know whether its me or the drugs??
2006-10-20 07:46:31 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Social Science ➔ Psychology
Hi:
I am glad you posted another question on depression. As I realised I missed things in my previous answer.
I said that I did not recommend anti-depressants because of their side effects and bad reactions with other medications.
There is an extensive range of anti-depressants. There are groups of them that work in different ways. They endeavour to correct the imbalances of chemicals and the way the brain reacts.
Some people find wonderful relief from anti-depressants. I have friends who use them successfully. They just have to find the right one for them. With Effexor, I found out it lowered my blood pressure after one tablet. With Aurorix, it took months before I realised it was making me feel agitated and manic. Other anti-depressants have made me sad, irritable, edgy, lacking in spontaneity, lethargic, want to eat too much or not enough (wish I could remember that one), forget things, not feel like doing anything or even ringing friends. I felt that they would not want to hear from a bored and miserable person. From this, you can see that they can change your perceptions.
In my family, depression seems to be genetic. My sister, father and grand-father had depression. All required psychiatric help. All had issues with which to deal. I did too. Since I moved, which was extremely difficult to do physically and financially, my mood and outlook has improved immensely.
There are very few anti-depressants that will not react with one or more of the other medications that I must take.
Because of this I have worked out other ways of dealing with depression. I list some of them below.
Meditation: Relaxing and Focussed. The first can make you calmer and the second can be used to solve problems.
Spoil Yourself (you and the Depressed) person: Do something you love. Go to movies, out to dinner or visit friends.
Use Humour: Norman Cousins cured himself of cancer when the doctors were fatalistic by watching funny movies - lots of them! Watch the movie "Patch Adams" starring Robin Williams. It is both funny and informative. I would go to funny shows even if I went by myself.
Use humour - not the mocking kind - to gently jostle the person out of their current mood. When you love someone, you have a good idea what type of humour to use and how far to go.
There are laughter clubs all over the world. Search for one in your locality. It is a fallacy that something needs to be funny for you to laugh. A cathartic release can be gained from laughter.
I went to Humourversity run by Peter Crofts. On being asked why I was there, I told them I had lost my sense of humour because of pain, dealing with insensitive doctors, insurance people and other non-helpful people. I said that I had a good one and I wanted it back.
I got it back. You can obtain all sorts of resources and information from www.humourversity.com.au.
Did you know that a smile and a laugh for no reason at all can increase the release of endorphins and "feel good" chemicals in your brain?
Music: They say that music has the power to calm the savage beast. It can help soothe a sad heart. If the music is chosen well, it can pick the heart up and have the toes dancing.
When one is fretting, the brain is usually in the Beta Wave mode. It is a busy mode and it is hard to get a new signal through. Baroque music and other music that mimics the 4/4 beat of the heart can slow the brain waves to Alpha mode. A person can deal more with life and solve problems in this mode. Yogi meditates in the Alpha Mode. Some slow the brain wave down even further.
Singing: Singing your favourite songs regardless of your singing ability can settle you and lift your spirits.
Exercise: Exercise helps take oxygen to the brain and helps "switch a light on" up there. It gives you more energy and generally improves your health. The healthier you are generally, the less depressed you are.
Exercise is another thing that can stimulate the production of endorphins and "feel good" chemicals. Food can do the same thing but it is only temporary and you can "crash" a few hours later.
I recommend reading a book called the "Molecules of Emotion" by Candace Pert, PhD. It explains what’s going on in the brain in lay terms. The book is also a "good read."
Other people I can remember right now addressing the use of humour in health are Dr William Fry and Annette Goodheart. WedMD.com have a range of articles on this subject. They also have articles on Depression and medications and their side effects.
Face Problems: This can be very hard for you and especially the depressed person. Sometimes when a problem is discussed or shared, it becomes less threatening. It may give you a chance of discovering solutions. It is similar to a person who is an alcoholic who admits they have a problem. You both can work up from there. Churchill said: "There is nothing to fear but fear itself!" Fear is made worse when it is "unknown" or not acknowledged.
I had a fear of authority figures until I saw some power brokers as a doctor's assistant in their badly washed, crinkly underwear and skin that did not look much better. I realised, we are all the same underneath all the pretences.
Volunteer to Help Others: This gets you out of the house, distracts you and benefits others. Sometimes it changes the perceptions of the problems and may even provide solutions.
Have a Dream: A dream is something to look forward to doing or being. Find out what that is. Turn it into a goal. A goal is just a dream with a deadline! In "South Pacific," a song called "Happy Talk," part says: "You've got to have a dream ... or how you gonna have a dream come true!"
Attitude: Work on your attitude. Try and change a negative to a positive. Every time you say something in negative terminology, try and see if the sentence can be expressed in positive terms. Instead of: "Today stinks!," change to "Things are not going well at the moment, what can I/we do to change that?" See if you can do it for a whole day. It is hard work but it will help to change perceptions.
In the movie "Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs," there is a song called "Whistle a Happy Tune." It is to "... make you feel you’re not afraid." The premise is that if you do it long enough, you will come to believe it.
Depressed people can lose belief in themselves. You could ask your loved one "What are your best traits, attributes and talents?" In the event you receive an abrupt answer that, more or less says "None!" have a list of all the things you admire about him or her. Give it to them in a card with smiley faces, etc.
Aromatherapy: There are lots of essential oils that improve mood. Ask an aromatherapist because just like any other treatment, they can have side effects especially for pregnant woman and people with epilepsy. These too can be used with massage.
Always check and double-check on anything you ingest whether internally or externally. Read the information pamphlets. Consult a doctor or a therapist. Chemists can access comprehensive details of medications from their database. Find a chemist who can help you.
Depression can be a mixture of other things too. A person can have Seasonal Affective Disorder. This is when winter comes on and the person's mood descends like the temperature. It comes because of a decrease in melatonin. You can obtain melatonin as a supplement.
A depressed person may be experiencing pain from a whole range of things. Migraine pain most resembles depression because sufferers shut themselves off from the world. They can become sensitive to light and sound. Pain is another area where massage can help.
Because of depression being "in the family," I have studied more than most on the subject and more so since not being able to take anti-depressants. Because I am an optimistic person, I have chosen to fight it with humour, music, singing, doing things I enjoy, helping others, and much more - especially have a dream for the future. Put a poster up on the wall so you can see it all the time. Create a dream book. Write down where you want to be in one, five, ten, twenty or whatever years. You can list everything right down to the curtains you want to hang in your house.
One of the most important issues between people is open lines of communication. As long as you keep them open and love them, there is always hope for improvement.
If you are game, you can always ask: "... is it me or the drugs?" Just be prepared for the answer. It may not be what you want to hear.
I hope this helps you. Good luck.
April
2006-10-21 02:25:16 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Ninja Cat and Lori Beth: cogent, based on experience. I don't respond in the usual way to drugs. Eight years ago, for what was classed as mild depression, I took serzone for 10 months, tapering off after 8 months, at my insistence. My life situation should have changed, instead. I was more fatigued and dumbed down than I have ever been. You never know if you are the one these drugs will help. If a professional believes that you should try, do. Pay attention. Zoloft can cause vision anomalies. The list of side-effects, for every one of these drugs, is mind-boggling.
Most likely, your friend 's behavior derives from the medication and her prior condition.
Psychiatrists have ,at hand, an unbelievable number of different anti-depressants and they don't mind switching you from one to the other. Very many people are helped. You have to find the right recipe. Or, you find a way to cope and transcend on your own.
2006-10-20 08:48:58 · answer #2 · answered by Charlie Kicksass 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I went on some anti depressants, i wanted aderal for school, but the pschologist put me on welburtrin and basically if you consider happiness and sadness peaks and valleys, anti-depressants turn you into the kansas landscape, I became very flat and was aware of this so I quite taking them and instantly was better again, I am willing to be depresses a couple weeks out of the year in order to be as happy as I am normally, a fair trade off, and yes I would guess that is why your friend is distant. the drugs
2006-10-20 07:55:55 · answer #3 · answered by ninja cat 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
i can't speak for everyone, but personally, i don't usually react very well to manmade chemicals. as a troubled teenager, i was put on a few different kinds of anti depressants. celexa didn't really do much, zoloft gave me massive headaches, and welbutrin made me totally zombie-fied. for some people, anti depressants do help, but they're not for everybody. there's a good chance that your friend could be experiencing side effects from his/her medication, or maybe it's that the medication isn't working the way that it's supposed to, or maybe their problem is something else entirely. you should talk to your friend about this, and let them know that you care.
2006-10-20 08:03:25 · answer #4 · answered by LoriBeth 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
i have been on anti-depressants for many years, seems like i have tried them all...the only one that I seen a true problem with was Paxil, it actually made me feel worse...i was crying more, zombie like and just didnt care anymore...not all anti-depressants are like this...everyones body can react to the meds differently and alot of it has to do with the person too..
they just cannot rely on the meds to fix it all, they need to do their part too to get better...
2006-10-20 08:21:42 · answer #5 · answered by sherichance79 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
antidepressant work through regulation of chemical mediators in the brain,most of them don't start working immediatly,they take about 2 weeks ,external factors(dailylife stress) do affect the effect of the drug too...that's why some people show better response than others
2006-10-20 07:58:01 · answer #6 · answered by Mike004 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It ruins your liver. It makes you question if you are doing the right thing. It makes you realize that you are making corporate America a profit. It is a waste of your money. Unless you are taking Valium, all those other mind altering - rat chemicals are a Pfizer scam or some other drug conglomerate...
2006-10-20 07:54:44 · answer #7 · answered by the_breeders_cup 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Not always. My mom takes them well took them, and she was way more assertive. She was actually mean a lot too, but she didnt know it really.Glad she's off them things.
2006-10-20 07:52:00 · answer #8 · answered by sshhmmee2000 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
nah... if you get the right dosage it should merely take the edge off so that you can learn some coping skills on your own.
2006-10-20 07:55:13 · answer #9 · answered by Cookie 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋